Journalists have been urged to be safety conscious in the discharge of their responsibilities in serving humanity.
The call was made known in a recent one-day media conference held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
The theme of the conference was : “News Organisations Standing up for Safety of Media Professionals” and the following safety measures were suggested.
ü Media organizations must adopt safety protocols for newsrooms,
ü Taking advantage of safety training provided by NGOs,
ü Conducting risk analysis, and supporting freelancers.
ü The use of mobile apps for journalists to report attacks,
ü And coverage to raise awareness and show solidarity.
Attendees at the meeting included Alhaji Abdulwaheed Odusile, the President of Nigeria Union of Journalists.
Participant in Paris expounded ON the importance of strengthening solidarity between media, from local and community radio to mainstream media.
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, stressed the importance of building broad base co-operation, to enhance safety of journalists and end impunity in the framework of the UN Plan of Action of Safety of journalists.
The DG endorsed the proposal for a special representative on journalists safety within the office of the United Nations Secretary General.
Other participants at the conference include- senior representatives of The Association Press, the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Thomson Reuters, France Media Monde, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, European Broadcasting Union, Prisa, AMARC and the Inter-American Press Association, Christiane Amanpour of CNN, among others.
